Hello! Welcome to Los Angeles!

I'm an artist and photographer. I teach art at Long Beach State University, and you can see some of my photography around Los Angeles here:

https://glenn.zucman.com/metro
https://glenn.zucman.com/photojournalism

You can see some of my CS guests here:
https://glenn.zucman.com/blog/100-countries

"Runaway University", aka "my house", is an experiment in international cultural exchange. I hope that while you're here you'll make a little time to spend "on campus" (in the house) and maybe prepare a meal, or lead a yoga session, or a baking class, or a laughter workshop! You can see a few past RULA (Runaway University, Los Angeles) workshops here:
https://runaway.university/category/classes

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Why do we bother to take selfies at The Hollywood Sign or The Eiffel Tower? There are already millions of them here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=hollywood+sign+selfie

and here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=eiffel+tower+selfie

I guess we do it because different features of different cities have an almost primordial pull on our souls. These images are one way of touching the otherwise ephemeral qualities of a city. I hope as travelers that we also take the time to hitchhike on Sunset Boulevard or share a bottle of wine on the banks of the Dordogne river. I hope we take the time to be great CouchSurfers.

ARE YOU NEW TO CS?
If you are, here are some awesome videos from "What a shame Mary Jane" that might be helpful:
• How does CS work? https://youtu.be/uoeLW_2Os3o
• Getting started on CS: https://youtu.be/Pu5lctyfHuI
• Is CS free? https://youtu.be/WIO0ivo5nvs
• Is CS safe? https://youtu.be/D9Xk3SOHnEw
• How to write the perfect CS request: https://youtu.be/PVXewFRRuhw
• How to find a CS host for every trip: https://youtu.be/NPHKDbR3l3E
• How long can you stay with a CS host? https://youtu.be/95CF2SYo23A

Interests

I'm a Los Angeles-based artist and Arts Educator.

I teach art at Long Beach State University:
https://glenn.zucman.com/i2va (Introduction to the Visual Arts)
https://glenn.zucman.com/websites (Artist's Portfolios)

• architecture
• news
• blogging
• journalism
• urban exploration
• photo
• freedom
• cultures
• streetart
• new experiences
• urban planning
• performance
• open source
• art museums
• wordpress
• artificial intelligence
• photoshop
• digital nomad
• street photography
• photojournalism
• arts and culture

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC - FRENCH
• Camille
• Zaz

MUSIC - ARABIC
• Souad Massi
• Emel Mathlouthi
• Nancy Ajram

MUSIC - TURKISH
• Olcay Bayir
• Aleyna Tilki

MUSIC - GERMAN
• Nina Hagen
• Ute Lemper

MUSIC - RUSSIAN
• Via Gra

MUSIC - K-POP
• Lim Kim

MUSIC - TAIWAN
• Mavis Fan

MUSIC - CANTONESE
• Ahy
• Pixel Toy

MUSIC - AMERICAN
• Got a Girl
• Matmos

MUSIC - UK
• Autechre
• Bat for Lashes

MUSIC - POLISH
• Jula
• Ewa Farna

FILMS - INTERNET FREEDOM
• Citizen Four
• Snowden
• The Internet's Own Boy

FILMS - SPECULATIVE FICTION
• Inception
• The Matrix
• Blade Runner
• 2001
• Altered States

FILMS - IDENTITY
• Twinsters
• I Am Sam

FILMS - UNDERSTANDING LOS ANGELES
• "Chinatown", Roman Polanski, 1974 - explains the water
• "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", Robert Zemeckis, 1988 - explains the transportation
• "La La Land", Damien Chazelle, 2016 - explains the dream

FILMS - WHY UNIONS MATTER
• "Norma Rae", Martin Ritt, 1979
• "Matewan", John Sayles, 1987
• "North Country", Niki Caro, 2005

BOOKS - PHILOSOPHY
The 2 best books I've read for making sense of living in this world are:
• "Buddhism Plain and Simple" by Steve Hagen
• "For The Time Being" by Annie Dillard (David Birney's reading of the audiobook version is sublime)

BOOKS - CULTURE and TECHNOLOGY
The 3 best books I've read for understanding the perils of our technological moment (and why, if you happen to be an American, you should vote for Elizabeth Warren) are:
• "Zucked" by Roger McNamee
• "Surveillance Capitalism" by Shoshana Zuboff
• "What Technology Wants" by Kevin Kelly

BOOKS - IDENTITY
Some of my favorite books on Identity are:
• "Alias Olympia" by Eunice Lipton
• "Shanghai Girls" by Lisa See
• "Murder of a Medici Princess" by Caroline P. Murphy
• "The Birth of Venus" by Sarah Dunant
• "Dirty Blonde" by Courtney Love
• "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" by Oliver Sacks
• "Willful Creatures" by Aimee Bender

TELEVISION
• Kill your television!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

• Cave diving in the Yucatan.
• Kelp forest diving at Catalina.
• Arch Rock kayak crossing at Anacapa Island.
• Kayaking with 6 dolphins at Corona del Mar.
• Hearing a sea lion cough at the end of the Newport Jetty.
• Hearing whales sing at the bottom of the ocean in Kona, Hawaii.

Teach, Learn, Share

• Let's start your blog!
• Let's dye your hair a fun color!
• Let's work on your blog *while* your hair color is processing!
• I am an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church. If you'd like to get married while you're in California, I'd be happy to perform your service!

What I Can Share with Hosts

• Fusion Teas.
• Boba.
• Art, Culture, and Amateur Philosophy

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Hong Kong, Mexico

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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